Absence
by Light1
Summary: Raziel returns to the Serefan Stronghold to seek revenge for the murder of Janos, but he has a stalker in toe.


**Absence **

Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal dynamics, they are not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create.

Rating: PG

Part: One of One

Set: During SR2 & Defiance

Authoress note: Kain follows Raziel into the Serefan Stronghold.

**Absence **

{Kain}

He had followed Raziel as he re-entered the Serefan stronghold.

It had not been difficult. Raziel as usual had let his emotions get in the way of his brain and was simply stampeding into the hold without paying any attention. Kain fancied he could have followed him out in the open playing a tuba and gone unnoticed. Although there was a worrying moment when Moebius felt the need to meddle and Kain had almost walked right into the time streamers back before beating a hasty retreat. The retreat irked him a little but Kain swallowed his pride. He did not want to be found yet. The planning of centuries rested on the next few moments going smoothly. He waited and worried while Moebius taunted his fledgling. More than once he had to stop himself from making himself known by striking Moebius hard enough to detach his head from his shoulders. Tempting as the idea may be it would not free Raziel from the trap set for him. It would not give them both the opportunity to reclaim what was theirs by birth right. So he stayed his hand and entertained fantasies where he did not have to act with restraint. After a short time Raziel moved on armed with the Reaver. He seemed even more crazed then before and once again Kain had to hold himself in check. He had spent years, decades even telling Raziel that one day his inability to separate his brain from his emotions was going to get him into trouble. Raziel was a foolish and temperamental creature. Kain snorted briefly remembering himself when he too had been younger and also led by his anger. Look at the trouble that had caused him. Now here was Raziel about to make that same mistake. But Raziel had someone right behind him ready to clean up his mess before it caused problems. Kain wondered if his life would have been different if he had had someone following behind ready to make the crucial move when he had needed it.

Bringing himself back to the task at hand Kain found Raziel had already destroyed his past brethren and had moved on to confront himself. It was yet another paradox. Moebius was fond of them. He stepped over the bodies of his soon to be sons and sighed. He had raised them to perform a task and he had killed them to perform a task. Be that as it may that did not mean he felt nothing for their sacrifice. It was a pity and a waste. There was no blood anywhere. The Reaver had consumed all of it and that fact reinforced his belief that this could work. Swallowing he moved to enter the central room of the stronghold. He could hear that the battle had already begun. Entering the chamber was easy. Both man and wraith were too occupied with each other to notice his entrance. It was a strange battle to witness and thankfully it was over quickly. Mortal Raziel being little match for Wraith Raziel's anger and Reaver enhanced fortitude. Kain continued to wait as one died and the other mourned. Then it happened. The Reaver unbidden by Raziel moved. The blade was sharp, fierce and voracious. It took only moments before it buried itself in his fledgling's chest. It hurt him more than he would have anticipated seeing Raziel in such a state. But his own excitement and fear overwhelmed him. Once again he pushed his reaction down and moved forward. Raziel saw him only moments after he had stepped into the open and instantly assumed the worst. That stung but only slightly, after all he had done Raziel's reaction was not unexpected. He spoke softly, tried to convince Raziel that he was not here to do harm but Raziel was deaf to him, as he had been now since his rebirth. But despite his lack of willingness the paradox came anyway.

The moment he felt the temporal shift he grabbed the blade and pulled. It was reluctant to release Raziel and had Kain been a man he would not have been able to free him. But Kain had not been a man now for centuries and he had strength enough for this. He could not stop the excitement from showing on his face when he pulled the blade free. He had done it. He had broken the cycle, finally. Raziel looked at him like he had grown an extra six heads but it didn't matter. Nor did it matter that he was grinning like a loon or that he could hear soldiers coming down the hallways. Raziel was shaking as he looked at him, unable or unwilling to rise. The wraith's face despite being decimated was remarkably expressive and Kain recognized the look he was being given. It was a familure expression and one he had not thought he would see again. Raziel had looked at him with wonder and quiet aww a lot when he had been young.

"Now you are free," Kain heard himself say to the look on his fledglings face "Free to reclaim your true destiny," Raziel actually managed to look skeptical and Kain almost sniggered but something stopped him. Something was wrong. The after effects of the temporal shift bloomed behind his eyes. His memories superseded each other and fought until one emerged triumphant. It was a confused mess in his mind. Happening to quickly to sort itself out. His abdomen flared briefly with a sharp pain as a new scar formed. It was one that had sent him toppling over a cliff and into two centuries of sleep. His arm shot out to grab the cliff edge to stop himself from falling but it was only a memory. There was blackness for a moment then he saw himself waken. He saw Meridian, Vorador, Sebastian and Magnus. He saw Janos and he saw the Hylden.

"The Hylden," He heard himself say. His head pounded. The name seared itself like fire into his mind, familure and alien all at once. He saw them almost broken but fighting still. He saw them plan and twist the histories until a foothold was gained back into Nosgoth. He saw Janos stand with him, between him and the Hylden Lord. He saw them fight for the sword, saw it drop. Then Janos fell. All at once he knew that that was what they had wanted. That was what the goal had been.

"We walked right into their trap," he breathed. His scull felt like it was being compressed. His eyes burned and he swallowed hard to stop himself retching. Janos could not be allowed to fall. Janos who was dead now could not be raised. He could not be taken to Meridian. He could not fall in the Hylden city. Kain knew he could not allow it to happen. Janos had to stay dead. But Raziel. Raziel would raise him if he could. So knowing even now that Raziel would not listen Kain turned to the wraith that was still looking at him like he had seven heads and shook him.

"Janos must stay dead," he said firmly, knowing even then that Raziel would not listen. That Raziel would fight to see Janos restored. Raziel needed someone to tell him what to do and after all that had happened Raziel had rejected Kain as a teacher. Raziel needed Janos. Raziel still looking at him began to fade and Kain cursed.

"Raziel," he managed before his hands became empty. He knew then that he had perhaps unleashed something worse than their endless cycle. Despair threatened. But like always he pushed it down and shook himself. He could still fix this.

He was left alone in the sanctuary, with a corpse and a blade. The corpse he ignored, the blade he picked up. It seemed lighter than it had previously. Like something was missing. But despite that he slipped it into its familure place on his back. It was familure and alien all at once. Raziel would not emerge here. That was certain. After what had just occurred Raziel would want time to think. Kain snorted at the idea of Raziel actually thinking about something rather than simply storming up to people and demanding explanations. Raziel reminded him a lot of himself when he had been younger. Angry, short sighted and very, very dim. But also determined. Raziel would not stop, something had to change, something had to make him stop. Aiming a bolt of kinetic energy at one of the high windows he let it lose and smirked as the stained glass fell. The doors around him opened and soldiers' entered fast, loud and blindly. A few fell to his blade just to vent his own frustration. He looked back to the broken window and with a brief effort of will separated himself into countless tiny forms, each with wings and fled the sanctuary. No doubt he would be back but for now he needed time to think.

**End ficlet**


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